Bushido, “way of the warrior,” was fundamental to samurai society. It was an unwritten code which incorporated the eight virtues of Confucianism: benevolence, justice, loyalty, filial piety, decorum, wisdom, trust, and respect for elders. Its most cherished values were courage and loyalty to one’s feudal lord. Chapter 8 of Samurai Revolution is titled “A Brief Discussion on Bushido.” I included it because a fundamental understanding of bushido is essential, I think, to understanding Japanese history.

Bushido Kyokai (武士道協会), a Tokyo-based NPO, describes bushido as “the spiritual foundation of the development of modern Japan.” The organization, which exalts life and world peace, states that its purpose is to “revive bushido in the hearts of modern Japanese people and people from around the world who live in Japan.”

Samurai were expected to be accomplished in bunbu ryōdō— “both the literary and martial arts.” As I mentioned in Samurai Revolution, the Confucianist Nakaé Toju (1608-1648) wrote of the reciprocal relationship between the literary and martial arts, as both were fundamental to government. “Without war there can be no true letters, and without letters there can be no true war.” Literature is the root of martial arts, and war is the root of literature—the purpose of war being to facilitate governing through the threat of arms. The Chinese character for war, pronounced bu (as in bushi, a synonym of “samurai”), is a combination of two simpler characters: “arms” (hoko) and “cease” (yamu). In other words, the true purpose of war and the martial arts is to keep the peace.

[Originally published August 2, 2015. Substantially revised and retitled November 2025.]

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